Here is a question for you: I am in the Chicagoland area – there are three Mini dealerships — do I need to worry the experience level of these three dealerships in installing the JCW kit?

Thanks.

However (and this is a great thing) it's all up to the individual owner. As I said in my review – there are no right answers here in aftermaket performance mods. The fact that there are so many great choices out there is one of the things about the current MINI market.

-Intake (Alta) $260 -ECU programming (average of Unichip-GIAC) $600 -Injectors (M7) $400 -Gas Flowed Head (Mini-Mania) $895 -Exhaust (Miltek) $700 - Spark Plugs (NGK – Colder) – $50 -Supercharger Pulley (Alta) $120 -Supercharger Belt (Alta) – $20 - Badging – $25

This is a total of $3045. Or about $35% more than going the aftermarket route for all these parts. We could argue all day on whether you can beat the JCW with just a pulley and an intake as many have, but to compare apples to apples, we should look at what is included in the kit.

Now what do you get for that 35% more. You get things such as warranty, exclusivity (only @2500 JCW a year), you get better resale value for your money spent (you have a greater chance of recovering some of the value of the JCW, in relation to the potential loss you can get going aftermarket), you are also guaranteed that the company will be around. It will be around not only to support what you have, but also to continue to build products that integrate with this kit. This is important. We have had problems with some suppliers such as powerchips. And lastly, you are getting a car that consistently beats other tuning packages that it is pit against in car test reviews. The JCW has been pitted against the likes of Hartge, GGR, BBrt, AmD… and always comes out on top for its phenomonal integration into the MCS and it inherent smoothness, and feeling of completness. You can even read about this on this site with Gabes review of the JCW.

One last advantage is the savings on installation. You say, What? Let's take for example a typical pulley party from Randy or anyone else. The typical charge for a pulley replacement is $450. This includes the $120 cost of the pulley. Randy routinely can perform these as fast as 50 minutes, but most often in 80 minutes, but yet you are getting charged $330 for the labor of the pulley. The JCW kit is routinely installed for right around $1000 (Classic Mini). Yet just the pulley aftermarket is around 1/3 of that install price, and the supercharger replacement is one of the smaller tasks on the JCW upgrade.

I think all of my arguments point to the fact that if you are looking for just pure performance numbers, you would probably find it cheaper aftermarket. But in no way is the JCW insanely expensive as mentioned by Frank in the post above.

But BMW strongly believes that I have to pay 3 to 4 times as much to be able to increase the performance and yet retaining the warranty and reliability by picking their JCW upgrade kits.

Not fair IMO. For as long as BMW continues to price JCW kits out of the league of most normal folks with fixed incomes, the aftermarket world will continue to be the cheaper and more appealing alternative for those who want to take the car to the next level.

If JCW kits can be mass produced in greater quantities in comparison to “X” aftermarket companies with better quality why then these kits have to be priced exclusively for folks with Country Club memberships?

Sooner or later JCW and BMW need to awake to the fact that they are losing ground to the aftermarket world (Which is getting bigger and bigger support each passing day)because they insist that their products be priced 2 to 3 times above what aftermarket company “A” or “B” price thiers at.

I don't think BMW fully understands the performance upgrade market potential of the MINI if they were to lower their JCW kit prices and fiercely compete with the other guys. Buying a JCW kit over a Webb Motorsports kit then would not be a brainer!

The “country club” mentallity of BMW when it comes to JCW products is really bothersome and pretty unfortunate.

I have no doubts about the superiority, reliability, exclusivity, warranty and resale value afforded by the JCW products but unfortunately BMW insists in pricing these kits just for the few that can realistically afford them excluding a big group of enthusiast owners.

While I believe the JCW product is better in many ways to what's available in the aftermarket world, the truth is that JCW upgrade kits are insanely expensive and very overpriced. BMW makes a killing with the added markup and dealer installation costs.

If I could ever get the JCW kit for $3500 installed,I would jump all over it but at nearly $6,000 it is a very hard to justify expense in these difficult financial times we currently live in.

I think BMW profits more than they should with each one of these kist sold.

Lower the price so you can better compete with the aftermarket world!!!!

Cheap injectors or hefty air box?????

I'd love to go for the air box as I can't effort a full JCW kit….but $450?? That's quite a lot!

Any one know if the injectors are available a la carte as well?

Dave

Sell the house! Sell the kids! Just get the money to do it!!!

Being in CA and the smog laws here I'm guessing it's CARB certification that we are waiting on.

I sent an e-mail to Gabe and started a thread on NAM on Tues about it.

Patrick

Quoted install price: $5995 Cost of parts alone: $4650 Difference: $1345

Given than Est. install = 10 hours

$1345/10 = $134.50 per hour

Does anyone else think that this is OUTRAGEOUS?

I wonder what the posted hourly service rate is (service shops used to have to post it in large letters on the wall).